The Moria Pact
by Kookle Wrenford
Summary: An oath has been sworn in the depths of Moria, and not even the Fellowship knows what it spells for the fate of Middle Earth...
1. The Stranger in the Depths

Whilst contemplating which path is the right one in the depths of Moria, Gandalf and the Fellowship come across a mysterious stranger who may change the fate of Middle Earth...

Rated PG-13 for violence and frightening scenes (no sex, no swears)

Disclaimers: As usual, I do not own any of the characters of the Fellowship, but I do own Rietta, Nimir, and anyone that you have never heard of before. I hope you don't mind my odd little plot twists. I have combined parts from both the book and the movie. Please review as constructive criticism is greatly appreciated, and if you hate this I will still continue writing it... 

*Note: Italics are parts from the book.

PART 1

_"I have no memory of this place at all," said Gandalf, standing uncertainly under the arch._

                The rest of the Fellowship waited behind him, the hobbits wearily slumping onto large boulders.

                "Can we stop then, Gandalf?" asked Pippin, stifling a yawn. "Maybe after a rest you won't be lost."

                "Very well," assented the wizard, taking off his pointed hat and tucking it under his arm. He peered out into the darkness. "There is a door over to the left. It should be safer than staying out in the open."

                The nine walkers followed him through the doorway and into a rather small room with what appeared to be a bottomless hole in the center. Sam eyed it warily, standing in front of Frodo as if to protect him from any unseen menace. Pippin moved closer to it and curiously stared down into its depths.

                "Careful," warned Aragorn. "'Tis a good reminder not to go rushing carelessly into places you do not know."

                The Fellowship began to unpack some blankets and food and roll out the bedding on the floor. Legolas stood tall and silent, looking into the far corners of the room. There was a large crack in the wall near the ceiling, with a pile of shattered bricks and boulders underneath it.

                Gandalf began to speak. "We shall rest here for a little while and then -"

                A sharp cry from Legolas cut him off. Over on the pile of broken rocks, something was stirring. It was nestled into the shadows and barely visible. A moan was heard as a thin figure emerged from the darkness. It did not seem to be an orc, even a small one, for it stood straight and tall, and although Frodo glanced down at Sting, no blue glow could be seen.

                Immediately Aragorn and Boromir whipped out their swords and Legolas stood, bow and arrow ready. Gandalf muttered a few words and the light emanating from his staff grew brighter. "Who are you?" he asked loudly. "Reveal yourself and do not try to escape, for we have you surrounded. If you are armed, lay your weapons down. I command you to show yourself!"

                The figure was illuminated in the white light. It wore a shabby black cloak, torn and ripped in many places. Some parts of the cloth even seemed to be stained a dull red. Slowly the figure came forward and lowered its hood as the Fellowship gasped in shock.

                It was the thin, haggard face of a woman.

                She squinted painfully in the bright light, and at once the Fellowship realized that she had not seen the light of day in quite some time. She croaked a single incomprehensible word and then fell forward. Aragorn and Boromir dropped their swords with a clatter and raced to catch her.

                "What in the world is she doing here?" asked Frodo, voicing everyone's question. "Is she alright?"

                They lay her gently on the floor, and noticed the long thin scar that ran down the side of her face. Her nose was also crooked, as if it had been broken. Even under all the dirt and grime, they could see how pale she was.

                "She has seen many battles," commented Legolas.

                "That does not matter," said Aragorn pointedly. "She must be starving." He laid a hand to her forehead. "She is freezing cold. Get some blankets." Merry and Pippin raced to bring some from the packs and handed them to Aragorn, blankly watching.

                Aragorn swathed her in the blankets and checked her pulse. It was throbbing irregularly. Strange, he thought. They waited, breathless, for her to awaken. Several minutes later, she opened her eyes and emitted a hoarse scream. She shut them tightly, and Boromir motioned for Gandalf to dim the light from the crystal on the staff, which he did.

                "We will not hurt you," Aragorn said gently. She shuddered, but opened her eyes a crack. "Dar- darker," she muttered thickly.

                "Does she wish for water?" asked Legolas, concerned.

                "Nay, elf, she said dark, as in no light," answered Gimli. "The light seems to be hurting her."

                "I will make it completely dark," said Gandalf. "You hobbits, stay away from the hole. We do not need you to fall in as well."

                The Fellowship blinked in the sudden darkness. Sam, who still had his extremely heavy pack on his back, swung it off, opened it, and rummaged through for the canteen of water he had filled before they had entered the mines. He also retrieved a package of some dried fruits from Rivendell.

                "Beggin' your pardon, Mister Gandalf, but mightn't she want this? If she's starving and all-"

                "I am sure she would appreciate your kindness, Samwise Gamgee, but this might be better for her." Gandalf pulled from underneath his robes the precious flask of miruvor: elven cordial from the House of Elrond. The woman watched, frightened, with eyes that were nearly shut. She suddenly opened them wide and with a gasp, Samwise leapt back from her.

"Her eyes are glowing!" he cried. He was right. The girl's eyes glowed a disconcerting bluish green.

"Do not fear her," the wizard told him and the others. "If one spends many long weeks in darkness, such things will happen. Drink," said Gandalf, holding the flask to her lips.

                She sipped, and swallowed slowly. With a faint sigh, she seemed to relax. It even appeared that some colour came back to her pale cheeks.

                Putting the flask away, Gandalf turned to Sam. "Now, Sam, I believe that your rations might be of use." He handed her several dried fruits and watched as she tore into them. All of the Fellowship, especially Gimli, felt immense pity for this person who seemed to have been trapped in the dreaded mines. Gimli wondered why she had not gone and stayed with Balin's folk. He was beginning to wonder if they had ever even come to Moria, this deserted, desolate place.

                After satisfying her hunger and drinking deeply from the water flask, the woman struggled and managed to sit up.

                "What is your name, child?" asked Gandalf kindly, calling a little light from his staff.

                "Child?" asked Frodo. "But she looks so old."

                "It is the hunger, and the fear, and the weariness," said Gandalf. "Can you not see how much better she is now?"

                Even as they looked, the Fellowship realized that Gandalf spoke the truth. The woman was only but a girl, aged beyond her years with some strange weariness that had yet to be explained. "What is your name, my child?" he repeated.

                She looked up at him and murmured something.

                "What was that?" asked Aragorn, leaning closer to her. Something not unlike hatred, mingled with fear, flashed across her face. He backed away, confused.

                "Well, we'll try another question, then," said Gandalf. "Where are you from?"

                The girl murmured something which distinctly sounded like 'Rohan'.             

                "Rohan?" asked Frodo, and the girl nodded. Something like a smile played across her lips as she looked at the little hobbit.

                Suddenly the luminosity in her eyes dimmed, and flickered. And she began to speak. "It's been so long..." she said hoarsely, and very softly.


	2. Tomb

Disclaimers: As usual, I do not own any of the characters of the Fellowship, but I do own Rietta, Nimir, and anyone that you have never heard of before. I hope you don't mind my odd little plot twists. I have combined parts from both the book and the movie. Please review as constructive criticism is greatly appreciated, and if you hate this I will still continue writing it... 

*Note: Italics are parts from the book.

PART 2

                "So you can speak," Gandalf said with a gentle smile.

                "Yes- I- I am not... accustomed to it, for I have been alone so long..." she sighed and made a move as if to stand up, but Boromir held her down.

                "You are strong enough yet," he explained.

                "I am strong enough," she protested, lurching forward violently and falling back. She pushed straggles of long, tangled hair out of her eyes. "Although perhaps not yet," she admitted, her face brightening as she smiled. Suddenly she began to cough, hard racking coughs.

                "You are ill," said Aragorn.

                "No, 'tis just this... this infernal dust..." She coughed so hard that her eyes began watering.

                "She has the distinctive Rohan accent," Aragorn remarked quietly, out of her hearing, to Boromir.

                "Yes, I recognize it also," he replied.

                When she stopped coughing, Legolas knelt down and held the water flask up to her mouth. She drank thirstily. "Are you alright now?" he asked gently.

                "Yes," she replied, her voice cracking halfway through the word. She looked around at the nine. "Why.. why ever would nine travellers be in the Mines of Moria?"

                Silencing Merry and Pippin with a single look, Aragorn answered rather vaguely. "We are on a journey, and we felt that the mines would be the safest route of passage." He glanced over at Frodo, who was toying rather nervously with the chain about his neck. The look on Aragorn's face reassured Frodo that nothing would have to be said about his burden. "We are leaving this place, and you must come with us. It is not safe here for you. You will die. We will make sure you get back to Rohan."

                "I have almost died many times..." she whispered. "But I cannot return to Rohan..." she swallowed and her eyes flickered wildly about the small space.

                "Either way, we shall not leave you in Moria," said Gandalf, straightening up. "Even if we need carry you out."

                "You shall not carry me!" cried the girl, and she slowly got to her feet. "I will go with you."

                "Somehow I feel that we should not stay in this place much longer," said Legolas, casting a wary eye about the room. "It is too... closed in; if we were ambushed, this would be our tomb."

                "Come, then, pack up and we shall leave." Gandalf gathered up his things and moved toward the doorway. The four hobbits quickly shoved everything into their packs, Sam hefting his heavy burden onto his back with a loud grunt.

                The girl watched them curiously as she stood fraily, supported by the elf archer. "What are they?" she asked, watching Pippin berate Merry for squashing one of the packages of sausages. She smiled delightedly, in an almost child-like way.

                "They are hobbits, from the Shire," explained Legolas. He felt strangely interested in the girl. How in Middle Earth could she have spent so long (he was guessing at least several months) in Moria? He could not imagine how anyone could do that, being so used to the finery of the Mirkwood palace.

                Aragorn passed close by Legolas and whispered something to him. "Do not tell her too much. We still do not know if we can trust her."

                The elf was shocked at Aragorn's reluctance to trust the girl. Certainly she did not seem evil.

                Upon exiting the small room, Gandalf once again found his bearings and lead the Fellowship down the right-hand passage, explaining that the air smelled fresher that way. The nameless girl did not speak much, and seemed suddenly very tired, although she walked along with the rest of them. She would not look at any of the Fellowship when they spoke to her.

                As they passed a small crack in the walls lining each side of the passageway, the girl suddenly halted. "I must retrieve my things," she said, and slipped through the crack. The Fellowship waited uneasily for her, wondering how long she would take and what her things consisted of. She returned after about a quarter of an hour. "I am sorry for my absence," she said in apology. She did not appear to be burdened with any baggage or anything at all.

                They continued onwards, and the girl grew more and more furtive, constantly glancing around as if waiting for something, or someone. The skeletons that littered the floor became more and more frequent, and Gimli became more and more anxious. He finally rushed into a high dark room with one single ray of light shining down upon-

                A coffin.

                It was a tomb. There lay Balin, son of Fundin, Lord of Moria. Even as Gimli screamed his rage and sadness to the heavens he knew that Balin's people had lost the battle with the mines. While the Fellowship waited sadly in the dim room, Pippin accidentally knocked the remains of a skeleton into a well shaft.

                "They'd get you now, if not later," muttered the girl darkly. She glanced around at the tomb room: various dwarf skeletons lay strewn across the floors, mingled with axes and arrows. Legolas picked one up and examined it. "Orcs," he said.

                Gandalf sighed deeply and removed a thick, heavy book from the dead arms of one skeleton. "So what we feared has come to pass," he said, flipping the book open. He read the last few passages of it aloud, while the Fellowship waited in agonizing silence. "We must leave this place," Gandalf said quickly, shutting the book with a clap of dust.

                It was then that they heard them. The unmistakable booming of drums, coming from the depths of the underground labyrinth, combined with faint, but crazy screaming.

                The girl sucked in a deep gulp of air and her face was pale. "I cannot do this..." she whispered. Her eyes once again glowed. "You must flee! Run, get out, do not stay! You shall be trapped...!" She pushed them towards the door but her words were cut short as an arrow zipped past them and embedded itself in a rotting skeleton.

                "They have a cavetroll," Boromir remarked wryly as he and Aragorn struggled to close the huge wooden doors.

**Author's Note: **I'm really sorry about cutting the chapter off at an odd place, but it would have been double the length if I hadn't… that is, unless people don't mind a really short chapter then a long one. Thanks to Sharkbait and Moonwinges for reviewing! One more thing, if any of you have speculations about who the girl might be and where she comes from, feel free to leave them in a review!


	3. A Promise

Disclaimers: As usual, I do not own any of the characters of the Fellowship, but I do own Rietta, Nimir, and anyone that you have never heard of before. I hope you don't mind my odd little plot twists. I have combined parts from both the book and the movie. Please review as constructive criticism is greatly appreciated, and if you hate this I will still continue writing it... 

*Note: Italics are parts from the book.

                Legolas, Gimli, and the two humans readied themselves for battle, holding arrows to the bowstrings. The hobbits were stationed behind Gandalf, whose face appeared even more lined than usual. The Mines of Moria now did not seem so appealing a place. The girl had slipped behind one of the massive, intricately carved pillars in the room. She reached up, and finding a place for her fingers to cling to, began to climb, unnoticed by the members of the Fellowship. She crawled onto a ledge, near to the ceiling, and cowered behind a pile of rock.

                And then the orcs were there. They swarmed into the room, hacking and clawing and biting and screeching. They were picked off one by one, hewn to bits in a bloody massacre. The cavetroll came behind them, roaring its primeval fury and swinging a huge mace. 

                The girl shuddered at the painful sounds echoing through the room. "Remember the promise, please," she muttered, her eyes wide in a blind panic. This was the first time the promise had ever been brought to light. Before, it had just been something to help her survive, so that they would not kill her...

                Legolas managed, by some amazing elvish maneuver, to run across a chain from the very same ledge the girl hid on, to the cavetroll's back. He shot two arrows into the crazed monster's head and leapt down.

                Then, the girl watched as if in slow motion as the cavetroll managed to trap one of the small hobbits into a corner. She screamed as Aragorn was tossed and fell limp like a ragdoll, but no one heard. "I'm sorry, I'M SORRY!" she was crying, and then Frodo was pinned to the wall. A great cry rose up from the Fellowship, and Legolas quickly finished the cavetroll off.

                A stunned silence flooded the room, and the girl weakly clambered down off the ledge.

                "Frodo, Frodo!" two of the hobbits picked themselves up off the floor and ran over to their friend.

                "Oh, Mister Frodo, why'd you have to go and get yourself hurt?" cried Sam, dropping a dented saucepan and rushing over to his master.

                In the panic, the girl was forgotten. But she was so secretly relieved when Frodo turned out to be alright. He smiled a watery smile at her when he noticed her. "We still don't know your name," Frodo mumbled.

                "You don't deserve to know my name," cried the girl. With surprise Legolas noticed that there were tears running down her cheeks.

                "Come, hurry!" yelled Aragorn, standing at the doorway. All carefulness and heed was disregarded now; the orcs already knew that they were there.

                The Fellowship and unknown girl raced out through the city of Khazad-dum, fleeing their orc pursuers. They felt the fire coming rather more than saw it. It was like a dark, evil behemoth creeping up on them.

                "It is an ancient evil - a balrog," Gandalf said grimly. "Run!"

                Once more they ran, through the great hallways lined by massive pillars. And then the balrog was upon them, as they crossed the ancient bridge that now led to their freedom. 

                It was monstrous, a great shadow spouting flames and a dreadful fear. "You never said this would happen!" screamed the girl shrilly. "Never!" the words flew out into the darkness around them.

                Who is she talking to? wondered Legolas as he ran lightly along, half dragging the screaming girl behind him.

                It was then that Gandalf made his last great stand- death at the whip of the balrog, on the bridge of Khazad-dum. The Fellowship watched in horror as he plunged into the darkness of Moria. The girl could not bring herself to watch and instead turned away. When the arrows began to hurtle towards them, she began to run towards the faint sunlight seeping down a flight of stone steps.

                The remaining members of the Fellowship fled under the arrows of the orcs of Moria, the new and final lords. Tears poured down the faces of each hobbit, especially Frodo. The strange girl ran over the empty gray hillside, away from the Fellowship. Legolas made as if to go after her, but Aragorn held him back. "Let her go," he said gruffly, holding back his own tears.

                In a little while the eight were gathered together and setting off towards the forest of Lothlorien, where Aragorn said that hopefully they would find peace and some refuge. They came across the girl at the stream of Nimrodel.

                "What are you doing here?" asked Aragorn.

                "Washing," she replied, much more clearly and softly than in the mines. It was true; the grime in her hair and on her face was gone, and her hands were very clean. Without her previous layer of dirt they all noticed how translucent her skin was. Her eyes were very large, but not in an ugly, bulbuous way, and with a surprise, Aragorn noticed that they were not the luminous blue green, but a deep brown flecked with black and gold. She was absolutely soaked, and had shed her cloak, revealing herself to be dressed in a long grey tunic and worn, sacking trousers. 

                Sam, who had been about to refill his water canteen, now eyed the water very reluctantly. The girl noticed his look. "The water's still clean, hobbit. It's running water. I washed downstream." She stood up from where she had been crouched down by the bank of the stream. "What are you all still staring at me for?" she asked almost angrily.

                "Who are you?" Boromir asked impatiently. "What were you doing in Moria, and why were you screaming out as we fled? Are there others in there?"

                She sighed. "For now, you may call me Rietta." She glanced at each of them in turn. Most of them looked at her curiously, wondering what plight had made her live in Moria. But Boromir saw something else in her face- she was familiar, but he could not remember where he had seen her before. It was just something about the way her eyes were set over the high cheekbones, but he could not place it.

                "I was in Moria because... well, I am an exile. I was given my life on such terms that if ever I return to Rohan, I shall be killed." She looked away.

                "Why are you an exile?" asked Merry curiously.

                "That is my own business!" she snapped angrily, glaring at him. "And as for your last question," she stared at Boromir, "I am sure you have seen the others of Moria," she said with a hint of sarcasm.

                There was silence for several moments. Aragorn stared hard at the girl, a suspicious glint in his eyes. "Then I fear we must part ways. We wish you good fortune on your journey," he said, his tone clearly indicating that he wished her to leave while the Fellowship traveled on into the forest.

                She stared back, equally suspicious. "I intend to travel into this forest, as I believe you also do. What, do you not trust me?"

                "We trust you," Boromir broke in before Aragorn had time to speak. He needed to find out where he had seen this girl before; it was nagging at him like a sharp rock in his boot.

                "For now, you may journey with us," Aragorn conceded. "You appear to be very malnourished, so we invite you to partake of our food." His features softened as he said this; he seemed to have realized that the girl was not a threat.

                "Thank you," she said gratefully. Rietta was glad that no more questions were asked as she was handed some food. She listened halfheartedly as the elf – there was an elf? she had never seen an elf before – sang an extremely beautiful song about the stream. Rietta was surprised at the colour of the elf's hair, it was even brighter than that of the people of Rohan. _I wonder who these people - she decided to use a general term - __are and what they were doing traveling through Moria. She was more than a little surprised that they were kind enough to help her, but she feared that they would find out the secrets of her past... if they did, they would want nothing more to do with her. Although she said nothing, she recognized one of the humans as Boromir, Prince of Gondor. If anything happened, he would be the first to realize who she was. Then she would be banished from this group of people as she had been from her home. For now she would live off their food and protection, and when it was time, she would flee._


End file.
